This was an interesting article by Nichole Kelly on SocialMediaExplorer. As someone who works in media, whose job is to promote myself and whose value in part is determined by how many people "like" me, I always endeavor to keep my ego in check.  It is only within the past 6-8 months have I really taken a hold of social media as a branding/self-promoting tool. I use to use it just to connect with folk when I felt like it. Now because it is a critical part of my business and a potentially lucrative one too, I have to approach it differently and throw myself in it, and -by extension- my ego.  On twitter, I had to ask myself do I want to be an influencer, and not follow everyone back?... I kicked that one to the curb. LOL. I'd rather be an influencer by what I do in my work, not by the ratio of twitter followers to who I am following.  Do I want to be a thought leader? Sounds nice, and sure I'll share my opinion when I want, but moreso I  endeavor to ensure my thoughts are sound and stable especially in this crazy smoke-and-mirrors-filled business.  Still these self-promoting ego-driven waters can be interesting to navigate, especially while trying to remain grounded. In this article, the author, Nichole Kelly, is pretty straight no chaser.  If you are a person who likes to examine their motives & values humility, her questions are on point.  After all, we've all heard pride goeth before a fall...

                                                                                                             ********
Have you ever stopped to think about why you’ve developed a social presence for yourself? I mean really stopped and asked, why am I doing this? Is this for me? Or is this for them? Many of us would probably answer that we are there to serve others, but, as I look at the content that is being shared, it’s pretty clear that we’re really there to fuel our ego. Unfortunately, brands are no different. We all jumped on the social wagon without a clear purpose and mission, and if we really looked deeper, we’d see it was a whole bunch of ego that led to a game of ego back-patting. You share our content; we’ll share yours. You follow me; we’ll follow you. I’ll make you the hero of our content because we are so much more superior than you, piddly follower.

Whether you are a brand or an individual with a social presence, there are some tough questions we need to ask ourselves.

How much do you promote yourself or your own content? This includes all of your status updates about your blog posts, your speaking engagements, your recent awards, your sales offers, and even that testimonial from your customer. If it’s more often than not, then ego is driving your social presence. Because if it weren’t about our ego, wouldn’t it be okay to simply go out there and help people? I mean help ridiculous amounts of people with all kinds of things that have nothing to do with us? Wouldn’t that be okay, if it weren’t all about us and what we can get out of it?

How much do you preach at your audience? These are all the posts that tell your followers what they should be doing and what they shouldn’t be doing, all wrapped in an ugly film of listen to me I know what I’m talking about. If it’s more often than not, then ego is driving your social presence. I mean honestly, how can we possibly know what our audiences should be doing? We don’t know anything about them. We certainly haven’t spent time understanding their circumstances, so why would we assume that that little formula that worked so well for us would work for them? We don’t.

How much do you focus on being a thought leader? Saying the same things everyone else is saying does not make you a thought leader So many times I’ve heard individuals and brands say, “We want to position ourselves as thought leaders in our industry.” The big question is, are you really a thought leader at all? How much do you talk about theory versus tangible results? How much real work have you actually done? What are you a thought leader in? Saying the same things everyone else is saying does not make you a thought leader. Sharing great content from others does not make you a thought leader. The real thought leaders are most likely working in the trenches, behind the shadows, and I bet you don’t even know their names. If your goal is to position yourself as anything, including a thought leader, ego is driving your social presence. In fact, the desire to be a thought leader is all ego. You want to have that pin in your cap so you can get the next promotion, the next speaking engagement, or maybe even have people recognize you in the airport. It’s 100% ego talking, and I have to say, I believe we can be so much more than that.

How much do you focus on building an audience? Why do you need an audience? What do you think an audience is going to give you? Influence? Credibility? Access? Let me ask you this: If you were helping people and had 10 followers, is it somehow better to help people and have 100k followers? I mean really, is building audience more about you or about them? If you really look and it’s more about you, then ego could be driving your social presence. Because seriously, your follower count is not an indication of your worth and the value you can bring, yet it gets so much attention. Trust me. You are worth a gazillion times more than the number of followers you have.

Are you building meaningful relationships and actually helping people? Real relationships happen because two humans genuinely connect and have mutual interests Or are you instead collecting followers like baseball cards? How many people do you actually interact with online each day? Is your list of recent tweets longer than your list of recent direct messages or @ replies? If you aren’t spending more time engaging with others in a meaningful way than you are promoting yourself, then ego is driving your social presence. Real relationships happen over a series of conversations. They don’t happen because you shared a great article. They happen because two humans genuinely connect and have mutual interests. Think about how many of your followers you would take on vacation with you and your family. Not many? Exactly.

That’s a tough list to look at, isn’t it? I fully admit I am 100% guilty of many of these.

• I started using Twitter because I wanted to be a thought leader and build an audience, but admittedly, I barely use it anymore because my home feed is an ego fest, so the only thing you’ll see are a few @ replies to people who’ve reached out to me and a daily post from Social Media Explorer and Social Media Examiner. Guilty!
• I rarely comment in LinkedIn Groups. Guilty!
• I have a ton of engagement on Facebook and spend way more time commenting than I do posting. Yay! I’m not all bad.
• I authentically engage with my friends on Path in ways you won’t see anywhere else online. That’s probably because it isn’t as public, so again guilty.
• Many of my blog posts may come across as preachy. Shucks even this one probably reads that way.

We spend a lot of time talking about the real jackhats in social, the trolls, and the people that are just downright obnoxious. We don’t spend near enough time talking about what social media has really become: a place for us to fuel our egos and a place for brands to fuel theirs.

We don’t talk about it because too many of us are guilty of doing it, but maybe we should. Because if you look at what social has become, it makes you really start to question why are we here. Why is it valuable for my brand to be here? The problem with ego-driven relationships is that both sides are fighting for control and no one ever wins. It fuels a parent-child dynamic instead of a human-to-human dynamic. We aren’t all equals in a fight for control. We become ego-driven maniacs that do stupid things trying to get that next ego stroke.

Maybe it’s time to take a step back and check the ego at the door. Because maybe…just maybe…then we could become friends. Friendship is a powerful thing. If I have a choice between buying from a friend or from someone who is not a friend, I’ll choose the friend every time. And maybe that is why our brand should really be in social.

I read this article on www.socialmediaexaminer.com and it was very helpful -- about how to get your tweets noticed.

#1: Personalize Retweets Many people like to tweet out blog posts they’ve read. The path of least resistance is to click the Tweet This! button on the post. Those widgets are usually pre-populated with the title of the article, the link and the handle of the website or author. You don’t have to do anything but hit the button!

Unfortunately, most people rely on the pre-populated text and move on. You can set yourself apart by adding your own opinion, question or other commentary to the tweet to give followers context.

Tell people if you agree or disagree with an article and why. If your reasons take more than the characters you have, cut it short: “I love this article!”

Questions are always a good draw because you can use them to intrigue your followers (“Have you tried this crazy tactic?”) or you can ask followers for their opinion (“Have pictures worked best for you too?”). Either way, people are more likely to click through, retweet or at least tweet you back.

Every blog post has a quotable sentence. If you’re not sure what to add to the tweet, find the sentence that really stands out and use it instead of the article’s title.

Crafting an interesting tweet takes more effort than letting the widget do the work for you (especially if the pre-populated tweet didn’t leave you too many characters to work with). But your followers appreciate the effort. I’m more likely to click a link if I know what to expect, aren’t you?

Taking the time to add the extra information is even more important when you’re sharing your own blog post.

#2: Share Articles More Than Once: Tweets don’t have long shelf lives. With this in mind, you need to tweet multiple times to stand out and maintain momentum.

A mistake most people make is tweeting the same headline and link over and over again. That’s not the best way to go about it. People may see your extra tweets, but if you don’t change it up, you look like a spammer (not the image you want, right?).

It’s easy to avoid tweeting out the same thing over and over—just use the tactics outlined in #1 above.

#3: Be Yourself I think the worst thing you can do on Twitter is to be like everyone else. Show your personality! It may sound simple, but many people don’t do it—maybe they think it’s not professional. But you can integrate personality and still be professional (and your followers will enjoy meeting the real you).

I recently wrote about a study on Facebook and tweeted about it. When I scrolled through my Twitter stream, one tweet stood out from the rest. It was from Track Maven‘s Twitter account. The tweet was so good it caught my attention instantly and made me respond to it.

#4: Include Trending Topics Hashjacking or trendjacking is a method of using popular hashtags to get extra exposure for your tweet.

You can find trending topics on the left side of your profile. These are the hottest topics and discussions on Twitter at the moment.

Take note of them and see how you can use them in your own tweets. You can tailor the trending topics and your tweets based on a certain location or people you follow so you can find even more topics relevant to you and your followers.

Many people (companies included) make the mistake of just jumping on the bandwagon. That could end up as a PR nightmare, or at the very least, an embarrassing faux pas.

Before you start tweeting away using trending hashtags, do your research. Know what the hashtags are about and where they started. If the hashtag is a fit, use it! But keep your tweets relevant, fun and not too promotional.

#5: Use Visual ContentHumans rely heavily on visual content. Approximately 65% of the people are visual learners. According to 3M Corporation, the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text.

And yet if you go to your Twitter stream, you’ll see that most people’s tweets are text only. Take advantage of that opportunity to stand out. Add images to your tweets, whether they’re from the company account or your own.

According to Track Maven’s retweet report, tweets without a visual received 0.1333 retweets on average, while tweets with visuals received on average of 0.404 retweets instead.

Visual content is a good way to convey your thoughts and opinions and your tweet instantly pops out from the rest of the stream.

If you haven’t looked at Twitter cards, you should. When you install them on your blog and someone tweets out your article, the Twitter card grabs the featured image and includes it in the tweet.

#6: Talk to People
The simplest, most effective way to get noticed on Twitter is to engage with people.

But don’t wait around for someone to tweet you before you reach out. Spend some time looking at your own stream and start a conversation around a topic someone else is tweeting about.

Listen to what people are saying in general. While everyone else is busy shouting his or her own message, you’ll be the one listening so you can make a better connection.

Is your Twitter stream too noisy to find people to talk to? Create Twitter lists so you can easily find and focus on important and relevant people in your industry.

Of course, while it’s always good to talk to influencers, don’t forget to engage with new people as well. Your goal should be to make meaningful connections with a wider group.

Wrapping Up

Twitter has a lot of clutter to sift through. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not so good. Take the time to customize your tweets and really talk with others. Use images, share your thoughts and be yourself.

Every time you share interesting content that stands out, you’re building a larger audience with stronger ties. It won’t happen in a day or even a month, but the reward is worth the continued effort.

What do you think? How do you stand out on Twitter? Have you used any of these tips? Leave your comments below.

-written by @askAaronLee

I know so many of us do not have a pinterest account, but so many of us DO! If you have a business that caters to women, you definitely need to check out the info below and reconsider.... 

Some facts:

• Pinterest has 70 million active users worldwide.

• Pinterst is a woman's world consisting of 80% women, creating 92% of the pins/posts.
• Content & engagement has a significantly longer life span on Pinterest than on Twitter and FB. A twitter post last 5-25 minutes, on FB its 80 minutes, on Pinterest - 1 WEEK!
• User engagement is also longer than Twitter and FB with an average time of 14.2 minutes per post!
• The social network also generates more traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined.
• When it comes to money per click, Pinterest generates 27 percent more money than Facebook and 400 percent more than Twitter.

Here is what Irfan Ahmad on SocialMediaToday.com writes:

Because of these numbers, it seems you have no choice but to leverage Pinterest, especially if your businesses caters to women. And to show you how can you use Pinterest to promote your business, the folks at Emerchantbroker have created a nifty infographic called "How To Become a Pinterest Warrior" that breaks down everything you need to know about the visual based social network - Pinterest. Here are some key takeaways:

1. Set up your business account

Choose your business type: This will make it easier for people to find you.
Link and verify for your website: So people know this is your official profile and can see your full URL.
Include your location: Especially if you  are a local business.
Upload your profile picture: One that us easily related to your brand.

2. Creating your boards

Begin with 5 - 6 boards with at least 10 pins each.
Use Keywords in your boards titles.

3. Start pinning:

 Pinterest is all in the visuals. In order to grow your following, you need to be sharing appealing, high-quality images. For better understanding of the platform, look at what your competitors are sharing and repinning, what's working for them, what isn't, and see what you can replicate and improve upon!

Here is the full graphic on this Pinterest article from SocialmediaToday.com. It's pretty thorough in laying out an entire strategy on how to maximize Pinterest for your business.  (source)

More confirmation of social media's growing influence. Grabbed this list of interesting content marketing facts that anyone who does business should keep in mind...

Content marketing facts in 2014

1. $135 billion will be spent on new digital marketing collateral (content) in 2014
2. 78% of CMO’s think custom content is the future of marketing
3. Internet advertising will make up 25% of the entire ad spend by 2015
4. Social media marketing budgets will double over the next 5 years
5. Email with social sharing buttons increase click through rates by 158%
6. Nearly 50% of companies have content marketing strategies
7. 33% of traffic from Google’s organic search engine results go to the first item listed
8. 67% of B2B content marketers consider event marketing essential
9. 73% of reporters think press releases should contain images
10. 72% of “Pay per Click” marketers plan to increase their budget in 2014
11. 52% of all marketers have found a customer via Facebook in 2013
12. B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads
13. 43% of all marketers found a customer via LinkedIn
14. 55% of marketers worldwide increased  digital marketing budgets in 2013
15. Customer testimonials have the highest effectiveness for content marketers at 89%
16. Videos on landing pages increase conversions by 86%
17. 65% of your audience are visual learners
18. Marketers will use dynamic content to deliver highly personalized experiences to the right audiences at the right time
19. Inbound marketing delivers 54% more leads than traditional outbound marketing
20. Visual data is processed 60,000 times faster by the brain than text.

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/07/23/0-captivating-content-marketing-facts-in-2014/#VppP1Xhoak0IRujk.99

SAN ANTONIO - If you've ever been called for jury duty you know it involves a lot of questions posed by lawyers on both sides of a case. It's a face-to-face courtroom encounter that most dread.

With growing popularity of social media, the process has taken on a new dimension that you should consider the next time you update your status.

When the lawyers  begin working to fill these seats at the outset of a trial there is a common objective.

"What both sides can really hope for is that they have a just jury,"  said Defense Attorney Robert Featherston.

Featherston is among the growing list of lawyers who use social media to help accomplish that  objective.

The Bexar County District Attorney's Office also turns to technology in the process.

"We would be remiss if we didn't use all of the tools that are available to us," said Cliff Herberg, first assistant DA.

Judges are also logging on.

"As judges we will ask, 'Do you have a Facebook page?' We are interested to see what kind of things they are posting," said Judge Laura Salinas, with the 166th District Court.

All inquiries made by judges and attorneys using social networks are subject to American Bar Association guidelines published recently. The primary concern is that there is no contact with potential jurors.

But many prospective jurors are wary of that searching.

"I don't agree with them looking into my personal Facebook for whatever reason," said David Pena, a prospective juror.

However, if you leave it out there for everybody to see, that's what you've done, it's not an intrusion.

Social media appears to be in the court to stay; whether it is good or bad, both the state and the defense agree on one thing -- the jury is still out.

So for those summoned to jury duty, don't be surprised to get a question you may not anticipate.

(SOURCE)